Supreme Court Deliberates Relocation of High-Profile Kashmir Trials

The Supreme Court set a two-week deadline for six accused to respond to the CBI's request to transfer the 1989 Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping and 1990 Srinagar shootout trials from Jammu to New Delhi. Yasin Malik, involved in both cases, has filed his response, with further hearings scheduled for January 2025.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday mandated six accused individuals to respond within two weeks to the CBI's request for relocating trials related to the 1989 Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping and the 1990 Srinagar shootout from Jammu to New Delhi.

A bench featuring Justices Abhay S Oka and Manmohan acknowledged the six accused had yet to submit replies to the Central Bureau of Investigation's petition, prompting the court to establish a January 20, 2025, subsequent hearing date. Prominent among the accused is Yasin Malik, leader of the banned JKLF, who has submitted his response, unlike six others.

The CBI's plea challenges a September 2022 Jammu trial court's order for Malik's physical court presence, arguing his risk to national security, compounded by his current incarceration in Tihar Jail. Rubaiya Sayeed, once kidnapped and now residing in Tamil Nadu, serves as a key prosecution witness.

(With inputs from agencies.)